Members of Genesee County's health care community gather during cocktail hour before the Genesee Health Plan Health Care Hall of Fame Awards at the Flint Golf Club March 31.Nicole Weddington | MLive

FLINT, MI — The Genesee Health Plan honored six individuals for their outstanding
contributions to health care in the community during its third annual 2014
Health Care Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony Monday, March 31.

"The
idea is to honor people in the community who have really made a lasting
contribution to the health of the community and to providing low-cost health
care to people in the community. So there's really a wide variety of folks on
the list that we are honoring tonight," said Linda Hamacher, president and CEO
of Genesee Health Plan.

Dr. F. Michael Jaggi was inducted into
the 2014 Health Care Hall of Fame, and presented with the esteemed Hall of Fame
Visionary Leadership Award, which honors visionary leaders who make
a lasting impact on the community's health care.

Jaggi is vice president of Hurley
Medical Center and is chief of emergency medicine and chief medical
officer. Under his direction, Hurley became the only Michigan site to train
Special Operations Combat Medics for the U.S. military. As a member of the
Genesee Health Plan Board of Directors, Jaggi spent the last 10 years guiding
many of the decisions about access to care, reduction of emergency room use and coverage.

Jaggi and five other honorees were nominated by members of the community
and health care professionals. The final nominees were then chosen by Genesee Health
Plan board members and staff.

"All
of the nominees have provided guidance and planning and have had a very lasting
impact on the path that the Health Plan is taking, which is to continue to be
here to help people get the health care they need, to make sure that they're
enrolled in programs that they're eligible for and to cover people who remain
in need of health care," said Hamacher.

One
of the three recipients of the Community Partnership Award was David Burr, CEO
of The DM Burr Group. Burr arranged the purchase of a building for the Genesee
Health Plan and leased it to the organization under affordable terms.

David Burr, a recipient of a Community Partnership Award, talks with co-workers and his wife Michelle Burr (right) at the Genesee Health Plan Health Care Hall of Fame Awards at the Flint Golf Club March 31.Nicole Weddington | MLive

"We've
never done anything like this as far as purchasing a building for another
company. We're a service-based organization, so we're used to doing more
service-based, so it's different but it's definitely an honor. We've had a
tremendous time with Genesee Health Plan, getting to know them and how passionate
they are about health care and how we can help out with that," said Burr.

"They've
figured out a way to work with the local hospitals to get health care for the
individuals and it's a great thing."

Other
recipients of the Community Partnership Award included Colleen Sproul, director
of community programs and government relations at Health Plus of Michigan, and
Genesee County Commissioner Brenda Clack, who also serves as chair of the Genesee County Human
Services Committee.

Sproul
said that partnering with the Genesee Health Plan made sense for Health Plus of
Michigan because both organizations have kindred visions for helping the community.
She explained that even with the federal Affordable Care Act, there will still be
people who will not qualify for any health care insurance.

"And
Genesee Health Plan will be around to help them," she said.

Rick
Wyles, vice president of finance and the chief financial officer of
McLaren-Flint, received the Visionary Leadership Award. "It's one of those
things where you just go to work every day and you don't feel like you deserve
a reward," said Wyles.

As
chairman of the Genesee Health Plan board of directors, Wyle has influenced financial policies that have helped the Plan remain strong during
tough economic times.

"It's
nice to be recognized, but what's really nice is Genesee Health Plan and
everything that they've done for the community. That's the important part of
all this. That they've helped a lot of people that cannot afford health care better
their lives through that," said Wyles.

Dr.
Daniel Dulin of the Mott Children's Health Center and a board member of the
Genesee Health Plan, said that the awards ceremony is a chance to recognize
people in the health field that don't really get recognition.

"Tonight
you will see people recognized who have given away time in addition to their 40-hour
work week to make sure people are healthy and well," said Dulin.

Other
award recipients included Dr.
Brenda Fortunate, a family practice physician specializing in osteopathic
manipulative therapy who has served on the Genesee Health Plan advisory
committee since 2008. Fortunate was honored with the Physician Leadership Award
for her 30-year career as an active advocate for the uninsured and underserved.

"Organizations
like Genesee Health Plan are really made successful because of the community
that they thrive in and the people that support them day after day — people that
volunteer, people who give their vision, their leadership and their time to
helping members in the community get the health care that they need," said Hamacher.

"The
Health Care Hall of Fame is something that is very near and dear to our hearts
and you'll see from the attendance tonight that people in the community really
do care and they want to be here to honor these people. It is all about
community."